DID YOU READ

Dane DeHaan developed a taste for moonshine working on “Lawless” (out this week on DVD) — “straight, plum, strawberry, pineapple, blueberry, apple, and peach” were among the flavors he tried, all for work you understand! (“I would not have been doing a good job if I didn’t sample the local product,” he laughed when talking to IFC.) But that wasn’t the only thing Dehaan acquired from the set of his first big film.

“I’m a firm believer that you can learn something from everybody, and there were eight of the heaviest hitters on that film, so I soaked it all up, from every single person,” DeHaan said. “I look at people and I think, ‘What does he or she do better than me? How do they do that? How can I adapt that?'”

Guy Pearce, for instance, taught DeHaan “the importance of not only internal life, but external life” by showing up on the set with shaved-off eyebrows and a shaved quarter-inch part in his hair. “I mean, he was the dude,” DeHaan said. “He showed me how you can take the effort to form the person on the outside, which was a revelation to me, because I tended to work first on the internal, and the external would come later.” (For his own role, DeHaan took this lesson to heart in developing special angled shoes and his walk, since his character Cricket had rickets.)

Shia LaBeouf, on the other hand, taught DeHaan the value of developing relationships off set, after the two of them took a four-day road trip together so they could play best friends. That lesson is one DeHaan has already applied to two of his subsequent films, “Kill Your Darlings” and “The Place Beyond the Pines.”

In the Beat poets-murder story “Kill Your Darlings,” DeHaan plays Lucien Carr, who helped introduce Jack Kerouac (played by “Boardwalk Empire”‘s Jack Huston), Allen Ginsberg (played by Daniel Radcliffe), and William S. Burroughs (played by Ben Foster). And because he learned how valuable it was to have an off-set friendship to simulate an on-screen one, “I spent a lot of time with Dan,” DeHaan said. However, he didn’t spend quite as much time with co-star Michael C. Hall, who plays David Kammerer, a man Carr killed after spurning his romantic advances.

“Not only were Allen Ginsberg and Lucien Carr involved, but I think David Kammerer and Lucien Carr were also involved,” DeHaan said. “So I have a responsibility to develop that relationship, at least internally, so my character can really fall in love with them.”

Unlike the other main characters, DeHaan had less written material to study about Carr. “He tried really hard not to leave many accounts of himself out there,” the actor said. “The first edition of ‘Howl’ was dedicated to Lucie Carr, and he had his named removed from subsequent editions.” But DeHaan was able to find some handy material in “And The Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks,” which is an account of the murder co-authored by Kerouac and Burroughs not published until after Carr’s death. “Plus there are diaries and letters of Kerouac talking about Carr, Ginsberg talking about Carr, and you can get a sense of who he was,” DeHaan said.

In the Ryan Gosling-Bradley Cooper crime drama “The Place Beyond the Pines,” DeHaan decided his primary relationship he needed to develop was one with an inanimate object — his bike. “Shia taught me about the importance of creating relationships,” DeHaan said, “but I knew after reading the script that the important thing in that movie for me would be the bike. The bike came up all the time. I think my character [Jason] is genetically predisposed to love bikes.”

Taking a page from Cricket’s mechanical abilities (he’s a “genius” who is constantly rebuilding cars to make them go faster and outrun cops in “Lawless”), DeHaan decided his way in to Jason would be to build his character’s BMX bike, “so it would look like part of me.” This was not a hobby of his before this role, so he found some help at the L.A. bike shop Bicycle Kitchen. “They have a bunch of old beat up bikes, and it’s essentially a volunteer community service,” he said. “So I not only got to learn how to build a bike and take care of a bike, but I spent a lot of time around kids who are a lot like Jason, which was really informative for me.”

Now that DeHaan has several big films under his belt since “Lawless” (including a star turn in “Chronicle” — which might garner a sequel yet — and a cameo in “Lincoln”), the 26-year-old actor is hoping for a shot at an even bigger one: “Spider-Man 2.” He’s up for the role of Peter Parker’s best friend Harry Osborn, but he doesn’t want to jinx it by talking about screen tests or auditions. “I love what Marc Webb did with the first one, with the emphasis of the human aspects of it without calling attention to it. And I think Andrew Garfield is an amazing person and a talented artist. So if that opportunity were to come along, and obviously it has not yet, I would love to be in that.”

The Best Of The Last

The end is near. In mere days Portlandia wraps up its final season, and oh what a season it’s been. Lucky for you, you can watch the entire season right now right here and on the IFC app, including this free episode courtesy of Subaru.

But now, let’s take a moment to look back at some of the new classics Fred and Carrie have so thoughtfully bestowed upon us. (We’ll be looking back through tear-blurred eyes, but you do you.)

Couples Dinner

It’s not that being single sucks, it’s that you suck if you’re single.

Cancel it!

A sketch for anyone who has cancelled more appointments than they’ve kept. Which is everyone.

Forgotten America

This one’s a “Serial” killer…everything both right and wrong about true crime podcasts.

Wedding Planners

The only bad wedding is a boring wedding.

Disaster Hut

It’s only the end of the world if your doomsday kit doesn’t include rosé.

Your Portlandia Personality Test

Carrie and Fred understand that although we have so much in common, we’re each so beautifully unique and different. To help us navigate those differences, Portlandia has found an easy and honest way to embrace our special selves in the form of a progressive new traffic system: a specific lane for every kind of driver. It’s all in honor of the show’s 8th and final season, and it’s all presented by Subaru.

Ready to find out who you really are? Match your personality to a lane and hop on the expressway to self-understanding.

Lane 10: Trucks Piled With Junk

Your junk is falling out of your trunk. Shake a tail light, people — this lane is for you.

Lane 33: Twins

You’re like a Gemini, but waaaay more pedestrian. Maybe you and a friend just wear the same outfits a lot. Who cares, it’s just twinning enough to make you feel special.

Lane 27: Broken Windows

Bad luck follows you around and everyone knows it. Your proverbial seat is always damp from proverbial rain. Is this the universe telling you to swallow your pride? Yes.

Lane 69: Filthy Cars

You’re all about convenience. Getting your car washed while you drive is a no-brainer.

Lane 43: Newly Divorced Singles

It’s been a while since you’ve driven alone, and you don’t know the rules of the road anymore. What’s too fast? What’s too slow? Are you sending the right signals? Don’t worry, the breakdown lane is nearby if you need it.

Still can’t find a lane to match your personality? Check out all the videos here. And see the final season of Portlandia this spring on IFC.

Last-Minute Holiday Gift Guide

It’s the final countdown to Christmas and thanks to IFC’s movie marathon all Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, you can revel in classic ’80s films AND find inspiration for your last-minute gifts. Here are our recommendations, if you need a head start:

Musical Instrument

Great analog entertainment substitute when you refuse to give your kid the Nintendo Switch they’ve been drooling over.

Breakfast In Bed

Any significant other or child would appreciate these Uncle Buck-approved flapjacks. Just make sure you’re not stuck on clean up duty.

Cocktail Supplies

You’ll need them to get through the holidays.

Dance Lessons

So you can learn to shake-shake-shake (unless you know ghosts willing to lend a hand).

Comfy Clothes

With all the holiday meals, there may be some…embigenning.

Get even more great inspiration all Christmas Eve and Day on IFC, and remember…